Pump up the volume

It8217;s the most recession-free business. A full-time, no-stress job, just like food,8221; for DJ Krash, as cliched as it sounds, music is the food for soul. And it comes with some 8216;soul stirring8217; perks like travel and being your own boss. Probably, in their heart of hearts, Rishi Rich and Juggy D too have similar reasons for joining the field, 8220;now a profession, please,8221; Rishi corrects us, there is a huge potential after all! 8220;Especially in India, in fact, I8217;m shifting base for six months here,8221; jumps in Juggy D. In case you are wondering what are we writing, here8217;s a brief, it was a chance meet. A tip-off and dash later, we were face-to-face with the three most sought- after British Asian musicians 8211; Rishi Rich, DJ Krash and Juggy D, in town for a private performance. Remember Kya Kool Hai Hum8217;s 8216;It was one night8217; track, Hum Tum8217;s 8216;Dil Vich hum tum8217;, 8216;Sohniye8217;, 8216;Billo8217;8230;.well, if you do then these guys 8211; writers, singers, composers, are guilty as charged.

8220;We8217;ve grown up on Hindi music, and it8217;s a great thing to be able to establish yourself in your own country,8221; says Rishi, now ten years into the business. 8220;You know, our parents never let us talk in English at home. They never let us forget our culture, our virsa, and so when we come here, we don8217;t feel like foreigners,8221; Juggy8217;s now building a kothi in his pind in Ludhiana, Lakkha. 8220;The famous Madiana Gurdwara is next to my pind,8221; he says with pride. While he8217;s busy working on Shilpa Shetty8217;s film and his album which releases next year, Rishi counts projects including Kambakht Ishq with Anu Malik, Toonpur Ka Superhero and a remix album, Bollywood Breaks. 8220;These are remixes of old Hindi numbers,8221; he explains. For Rishi, Juggy and Krash, remixing doesn8217;t translate necessarily translate into speeding a track or adding dhol to it. 8220;It8217;s creating a fresh tune out of a sample or beat. It8217;s injecting fresh vocals, effects into it and making it your own original,8221; says Krash, who got his name after crashing five cars! 8220;It8217;s Vishal otherwise,8221; he winks, a classically trained musician and percussionist who gave up his IT job for his passion 8220;music, and now I8217;m mentoring kids on it!8221; Some sound advice! 8220;Sound is something that evolves every month in our industry, and I can say with confidence that it8217;s the British-Asian artists who experiment the maximum with it,8221; defends Rishi. So when it comes to his style, it8217;s urban, commercial, neither too desi nor too western. 8220;It8217;s pop, and you can check it out on this new artist I8217;m producing, H Dhami, he8217;s going to be a sensation,8221; while Rishi8217;s kept himself in the loop by value-adding, progressing and evolving musically, Juggy sticks to change, keeps everyone guessing. 8220;Keeps me on my toes,8221; he looks toned down and his hair has grown into peroxide blonde coloured strands. Right from a shoot in Noida, production work on Taj 8211; E8217;s album and picking new instruments 8211; the dhol unleashes aggression, Jagwinder Singh Dhaliwal aka Juggy D calls himself 8216;Punjabi Rockstar8217;. 8220;That8217;s my next album too. And now that I have a tattoo with the initials of my dad and mum, G and S, which is also Guru Gobind Singh, I feel like a rockstar,8221; he smiles. Another thing that8217;s kept him busy is his social networking and entertainment website, asianaffair.com 8220;It8217;s youtube, facebook and myspace all in one,8221; he of course, wants us to log on.

Back to the business of music, Rishi, on a serious note, feels that Anu Malik is right. 8220;We are missing melody, and I, personally, make an effort to have meaningful lyrics and melodious tracks,8221; he says. 8220;Has to be out-of-the-box,8221; agrees DJ Krash aka Vishal, who feels that whatever you do reflects on you as a person. 8220;So if someone comes to me saying I want to sing to be famous or be surrounded by girls, it8217;s not their game,8221; they say. No wonder Rishi and Krash are happy behind the scenes. 8220;It8217;s the acknowledgement, not stardom,8221; says Rishi. Commercially, they are a success, top of the charts is serious stuff, but the British Asian tag is difficult to snip. 8220;We8217;ve made our mark internationally.8221; You betcha!